Mondelez Plans Cocoa Expansion in South and North-East India.

With cocoa supplies from Africa under strain, Mondelez International, the owner of Cadbury, is expanding cocoa cultivation in South India while exploring opportunities in the North-East.

Mondelez India has partnered with research institutes such as the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) and Kerala Agriculture University to provide high-quality seedlings and develop best practices for cocoa farming. Traditionally grown as an intercrop in coconut plantations, cocoa is now being cultivated as a monocrop in parts of Andhra Pradesh.

K B Hebbar, Director of ICAR-CPCRI, Kasargod, said the institute is working with Mondelez India to improve planting materials and expand cocoa cultivation in key southern states while testing its viability in the North-East. “There is huge demand for cocoa planting material as prices have risen in recent years, but there is a shortage of high-quality supply,” he said.

India’s cocoa cultivation currently spans about 1 lakh hectares, with production estimated at 30,000 tonnes for 2024-25, according to government estimates. However, domestic production meets only a fraction of demand. Mondelez sources just 10,000 tonnes from Indian farmers, relying on imports from Africa to fulfill its 75,000-tonne requirement.

To boost productivity, Mondelez is training Indian farmers in irrigation, pruning, and fertilizer application, achieving yields of 1.5-2 kg of dry beans per acre per year. The company is also studying cocoa as a monocrop in Andhra Pradesh and as an intercrop with oil palm and banana in states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

With production in Africa declining due to poor crop management and irrigation, India is emerging as a potential alternative for cocoa cultivation. Andhra Pradesh currently leads cocoa production, followed by Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Mondelez is now conducting feasibility studies to introduce the crop in the North-East, including Meghalaya.

HBL